THE DAGON (1)
FACTS
The school was founded in 1882 as Methodist Episcopal Girls School on Lewis Street (now Seik Kan Thar Street). In 1894, the school was moved to its current campus on the corner of Lancaster Road (now Nawadday Road) and Signal Pagoda Road, and was also renamed Methodist English Girls High School. The school consists primarily of a three-storied Victorian-era style building Template: Convert long and Template: Convert wide. At first, boys were accepted only in the elementary level (from Kindergarten to 3rd Grade). During the interwar period, boys were allowed from Kindergarten to 4th grade. Just before World War II, the school had 55 students. The school was closed down for 6 years after World War II and later reopened in May, 1947. The principal, Mrs. Logie repaired the school buildings that were destroyed during the war. At that time, the school began to prepare its students not only for the matriculation exam but also for the GCE (General Certificate of Education) exam from the University of London.
In 1951, the number of students increased to 850 and the four-story Kindergarten building (113′×51′) with 15 rooms was built in 1952 to accommodate the students. The school’s name was Methodist English High School (MEHS). On April 14th, 1965, the institution became a public school and has been operated by the government ever since. In 1986, a new three-story building (90′×34′) was built to correspond to the increased number of students. The school is currently running under the Department of Basic Education which is directly controlled by the Ministry of Education. The current official title of the school is State High School No. (1), Dagon. No wonder, this is one of the best high school in Burma.
It is listed among Top 200 buildings on the Yangon City Development Committee’s Heritage List.
SHOOTING
It was a sunny day in June, a few days before I left Burma. I went there to greet my old teachers and decided to have this post running on my blog. The shots are not very promising. But then it is just a dedication post to somewhere I belong, I love and I enjoy. Once I entered the main gate, I could feel some sense of those high school days.
DEDICATION
To my bestfriends, Thein Toe, Myat Htoo and Wai Yan Chit Maung… We talked, we played and we had fun. Those are the days but then very memorable days for us. Similar ideas and strong ambitions link our friendships more tightly. Now, we all are meeting up in Singapore again. 3 of us, me, Thein Toe and Myat Htoo. Waiting for the day Wai Yan would visit us…
I do miss those day while shooting this photos… This used to be our second home…
The primary school students having their fun break…
The upgraded canteen, the winner of CLEANEST CANTEEN AWARD by Ministry of Education for 5 consecutive years…
Three-storied Victorian-era style building as the elegant main building of Dagon (1)…
The bird-eye view of the school from Signal Pagoda Road…
The playground of us…
The food stalls along Nawadday Road (formerly known as Lancaster Road)
I miss the primary school period from the photos, like the first one.
Very nice shots as ever.